


surrounded by the spirits

by Myargalargan



Series: Sukka Does America (Modern Road Trip AU Ficlets) [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Road Trips, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 16:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30091590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myargalargan/pseuds/Myargalargan
Summary: Sokka and Suki stay at a haunted hotel. But Sokka definitely doesn't believe in ghosts...right?Part of a series of short ficlets about Sokka and Suki on a great American road trip.
Relationships: Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: Sukka Does America (Modern Road Trip AU Ficlets) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926637
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	surrounded by the spirits

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by New Orleans. :) And, as per usual, title is from my road trip journals!

“This hotel’s supposed to be haunted, you know,” Suki said as she tossed her backpack onto a chair in the corner. 

Sokka rolled his eyes.

“Everywhere in this town is supposed to be haunted. What, did everyone who ever died here turn into a ghost?”

“Maybe there’s a curse,” Suki said, raising her eyebrows with intrigue. 

Sokka dropped his bag next to the bed and then fell onto the mattress backwards, spread-eagle. 

“After eight hours on the road, I don’t have the energy for curses. Come here and snuggle with me.”

“Hold on, I’ve gotta pee,” Suki said, hurrying off to the adjoined bathroom.

Sokka rearranged himself so he was properly situated against the pillows and toed his shoes off so they fell with a _thud_ over the foot of the bed. The room was cozy enough, if a little sparse. The ceilings were super high, a quirk of old architecture that Sokka always found fascinating. And instead of the closet most modern hotels had, there was a huge armoire in the corner, big enough to hold both him and Suki inside. The door was slightly crooked on its hinges. A small chest of drawers functioned as a TV stand, and Sokka noted curiously that it was set left of center against the wall opposite the bed, so that the TV was obscuring one of the paintings.

“Weird,” he said, narrowing his eyes. But as soon as Suki emerged from the bathroom, he only had eyes for her.

“Comfy?” she asked, tilting her head affectionately.

“Come find out,” was his answer, and he reached out to grab her hands.

As soon as she was spread out next to him, Sokka grasped her hip and tilted their bodies towards each other. He captured her lips hungrily, shifting until he was pressing her into the mattress, and then rocked his hips against hers, making his intentions very clear. When he moved his mouth to Suki’s neck, though, she pushed her hand against his shoulder.

“Sokka. I can’t. The ghosts…”

He _almost_ laughed out loud, but then realized she was serious. He frowned down at her.

“Suki… There’s no ghosts.”

“Have you _seen_ the bathroom?” she asked incredulously. 

Now he did laugh.

“What does the bathroom have to do with anything?”

“It’s creepy!”

Sokka looked up in the direction of the bathroom. It was around a corner, out of sight. He looked back at Suki.

“Are you shitting me right now?”

She shook her head.

“You don’t want to have sex because the _bathroom_ looks _creepy_.”

She nodded. Sokka stared at her for a moment before flopping back over to his side of the bed.

“You want to watch TV?”

Suki lifted herself onto her elbows while she considered, and Sokka went to retrieve the remote, anticipating her answer.

“Okay,” she said while Sokka slid back onto the bed, “but nothing serious. I’m in the mood for something funny.”

“You know what you could do that’s funny? Or _who…_ ” Sokka waggled his eyebrows at her, leaning forward suggestively, although he left her a bubble of personal space. 

Suki pursed her lips and then grabbed suddenly for the remote.

“Alright, hand it over. Remote control privileges revoked!”

“What?” Sokka laughed, but he wasn’t quick enough to stop her.

“Penalty for the terrible joke,” she explained, twisting away from him when he tried to get the remote back. 

“That was a top-tier joke,” he protested.

“Lower-middle tier, at best!” 

She squirmed away from him until she was all the way at the opposite edge of the king-sized bed, holding the remote control over her head. Sokka, conceding defeat, sunk back against the pillows on his side.

“At least come back here and cuddle. I can protect you from the ghosts,” he offered, raising one arm in invitation.

“I don’t need _protection_ ,” she argued, but crawled back towards him and tucked herself underneath his arm nonetheless. “I just don’t want them _watching_ me while I do indecent things.”

Sokka opened his mouth, but Suki whirled on him before he got a chance to speak.

“And _yes_ , you count as an indecent thing. You’re about as indecent as it gets.”

His jaw dropped as he scoffed with mock insult.

“I can’t _believe_ how _wrongly_ I’m being _maligned_ over here!” he cried, voice jumping erratically into a near-howl as Suki repeatedly drilled her finger into his ribs. “Stop that!” he yelped, the severity of the order undermined by his barks of laughter. 

Suddenly, there was a loud _thump_ above them, followed by a hollow, plaintive wailing. Sokka and Suki both froze, eyes wide, breath locked in their chests. The wailing stopped, but then it was followed by a dull, echoing _clang_ , and a high-pitched shriek. Then there was silence. 

Sokka put his hand over Suki’s where it was digging into his side. She flexed her fingers against his in acknowledgement. 

“Okay, I’m not saying there _are_ ghosts,” he said quietly, “I’m just saying…let’s not take any chances.”

**Author's Note:**

> A friend of mine stayed in a hotel in New Orleans once that was part of a ghost tour. When she recommended it to me as a place to stay on my own New Orleans trip, she warned me that there might be groups of people loitering outside as part of the tour, but suggested I have fun with it by making creepy ghost sounds. Which is apparently what she did. So I imagine that's what happening here. ;) But, who knows, it could be ghosts!


End file.
